Pride (Something Unexpected - ch.03); pairing: Kouga/Sango; fandom: InuYasha; theme: 04
Title: Pride (Something Unexpected ch 03)
Author: Skyless_star
Pairing: Kouga / Sango
Fandom: InuYasha
Theme: #04, Our Distance And That Person
Disclaimer: The manga, the anime, and everything else of the 'InuYasha' world have been created by Rumiko Takahashi and belong to her. No money is made with this fanfiction, that is written just for fun.
Something Unexpected
Chapter 03 - Pride
by Skyless_star
Written for 30Kisses, theme #04 "Our Distance And That Person"
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Disclaimer: The manga, the anime, and everything else of the 'InuYasha' world have been created by Rumiko Takahashi and belong to her. No money is made with this fanfiction, that is written just for fun.
I wish to thank my beta reader ice princess (aka swasdiva) for her precious help with this chapter.
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Ginta yawned. He was sitting on a rock near Hakkaku, who was talking with the wolves, as they all waited for Kouga. Since they had begun moving in the morning, they stopped maybe ten times, and no telling how many others in the three hours before dark. If they moved so slowly, when were they supposed to find Naraku?
The two Yorozokus and the wolves smelled when Kouga finally stopped, quite far from them. Even though they were upwind, Kouga's condition was hard to miss.
"The scent is still there." Ginta said matter-of-factly.
"So it seems. How long since it began? Around ten days?"
"Twelve. But it's strange, at this time of the year it shouldn't last this long. Besides, it's not only a matter of scents, he's actually marking half of Japan as his territory. This time he's serious."
"Do you think Kagome nee-san has finally accepted to mate with Kouga? Maybe it's the right time for humans. If that was the case, it wouldn't be strange for him to be in heat." Hakkaku said.
"I don't know... Kouga would never let Kagome nee-san stay with InuYasha after she'd decided to mate him. Maybe he found another female. It wasn't like he had chosen her with his nose, to begin with."
"Maybe he had finally found his true mate. But stubborn as he is, he'd never give up on Kagome nee-san after claiming her so many times."
"So the question is: 'Why isn't Kagome nee-san here?'"
Hakkaku nodded, thoughtful. "I'm afraid we'll have to ask him..."
"...And that he'll get mad." finished Ginta.
~ ~ ~
Kouga cursed under his breath. This wasn't supposed to last so long.
Hell, it wasn't even supposed to happen.
He had Kagome, he had claimed her so many times he'd lost count of them, so why couldn't he get Sango out of his mind? Why did he want to do things to her that he never imagined doing to Kagome? Not that he thought Kagome was less than beautiful, but the feelings that Sango had been able to awaken...
Kouga sighed, shaking his head in the hopeless effort to clear his mind. Under other circumstances, he would have proclaimed he was in heat to the world, claimed Sango so that everyone would know she was already taken, mated her. But he couldn't do it now. He couldn't just give up Kagome and say: 'Hey, I've been after the wrong female for the past five months, now it is Sango my life-long mate of the week.' He already imagined everyone's reactions.
Mutt-face would surely misunderstand and think he had relinquished Kagome because he was afraid of him. And he already knew the Hanoyu wasn't going to let him see the end of it.
Hakkaku and Ginta would think he was unworthy of being their leader, whether they believed he was afraid of the Hanyou or they believed he had missed that his mate wasn't the one he was claiming, but another just under his nose. What kind of leader could be someone who isn't even able to recognize his own mate?
As for Kagome, he had always known she wanted InuYasha; she'd probably just be glad if he'd stop claiming her. But that got on his nerves. How dare she be happy he had chosen another?
And Sango? What would think Sango of his sudden change of heart?
Would she think, as probably anyone else, that he was forfeiting his claim on Kagome because of fear?
Would she think poorly of him because he hadn't been able to recognize her as his mate for so long?
Would she think that she was just a replacement for him?
Would she, because of one or more of the previous reasons, reject him? In truth, that was the thing that scared him the most.
But that wasn't the only bad scenario. What if Kagome suddenly changed her mind and accepted to be his woman before he could claim Sango? She was the first he had claimed, she'd have priority unless he mated Sango first. And, no matter what his fantasies were in the moments after he had been introduced to Sango's wonderful scent, he didn't want her only as a secondary mate.
Sure, an Alpha -especially as young, handsome and strong as he was, he thought proudly- was expected to get the un-mated females of the pack pregnant, but only when there weren't enough males. And only during their heat. Now wasn't even the right season. Most importantly, he wasn't supposed to be in heat after just smelling one of them!
When did all this begun? How could just a simple scent - if he could define a scent he'd kill to smell again 'simple' - do this to him? Once he had chosen his mate, he shouldn't be affected so much by other females fragrances.
He groaned. If only Kagome had been the one with that scent, there wouldn't be a war between his primal instincts and his pride. Kagome was supposed to be the one to have this kind of effect. Kagome. Not Sango. No. Not the brave and skilled warrior. Not the one with that gorgeous, curvaceous body. The one with those inviting lips, that delicious scent. ...And that damn exciting death glare she had directed to the monk...
Kouga swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. His effort at chasing away any image of Sango weren't helping the least one bit; they just kept coming, every time more vivid. It should have been enough proof that he was beginning to smell arousal mixed with his normal scent. Well, the scent that had been normal for him in those past days.
"Man, I want to see that look again." He groaned, as if accepting his need of her was a defeat, thinking about the fire he had seen in her eyes when she had slapped the monk. Oh, he had so loved it.
Nonetheless, it had confused him a lot. A Yorozoku would do anything to see that kind of look on the face of his mate. For every pair, their first times together were somehow a fight for supremacy, a way to prove they would be good enough for each other. The fiercer they were, the stronger the trust in each other would grow, and the longer their union would last.
If Sango acted that way around the monk, did it meant that she wanted him?
She wasn't his, and that was for sure. The only traces of the monk's scent on Sango were superficial. Maybe his scent was attached to her because of the way they rode on her Youkai-cat, Kirara or whatever its name was.
So, why had she graced him with such a stare? Could it be that she wanted him but the contrary wasn't true?
"That's impossible." he said out loud. Who, in his right mind, could prefer another woman to Sango?
Yeah, sure... Like he hadn't been after Kagome...
"How could I miss her?" he questioned aloud.
"Pride. I've been carried away by the wish to prove I'm better than mutt-face." He answered his own question. But that wasn't much help. Knowing it was his pride to keep them apart wasn't enough to make him stop being proud.
"I'm an idiot." he said, placing his forearm on the tree he had been marking and burying his head in the crook of his arm. A little while after, he finished marking the tree, covered himself, and began walking back to his pack mates. As he moved away, the signature smell of his condition became weaker and weaker. That caused a sudden realization to hit him.
Sango's scent did never stand out. Sure, he could tell she was among her friends, but her scent had always been the last one to reach his nose. The only time he had been able to single her scent out was when he fell above her.
That didn't make sense. If she was his mate, he should be able to catch her scent miles aw--
Sniff... Sniff...
Here it was. Irresistible, unmistakable, heavenly. The scent of his Sango.
He didn't even have the time to realize how fast his thoughts had been proven wrong before his body began running at top speed to meet her.
As he ran, other scents became clear besides Sango's. Some were humans, some not, and there were many of them. But he didn't care that she was probably in a village where a lot of humans would panic as soon as they saw him; that was their problem. Right now, he was trying to convince himself that he shouldn't run so fast. Was he so caught in his desire of her that he'd be ready to throw away all his doubts, all his efforts to maintain some sort of dignity, some small pieces of pride?
Maybe he should slow down and try to act normal, deny his interest for her until he would be able to tell whether he had been the one to make her scent so spicy and inviting, or if he had to rip off someone's head. Maybe bringing her their head would make a good impression...
"No, no, no! Stop spitting nonsense! She's human! She won't like it!" he said out loud to make sure his ears would catch his words. Her feral glare, thought, could rival that of a Yorozoku female: maybe he would be able to court her in the way he knew by instinct, after all...
~ ~ ~
Sango and the others were peacefully walking in the streets of the village when InuYasha suddenly snickered. Someone with a really bad smell was coming fast. The fact that it was Kouga was enough to make his day a bad one, but there was something more. He didn't quite recognize it at the beginning, since it seemed like Kouga was trying to hide or deny it, but somehow he would say it was lust that he was smelling.
Not really arousal, not the highly spiced scent that went along with excitement and anticipation, but something even more primal, entwined with longing and need, something meant to last.
InuYasha's eyes went wide as he realized. The bastard was in heat!
Sango heard him growl, and at the same time she heard Kagome say: "I can sense two shikon's shards approaching fast."
"Kouga." she said, putting two and two together. The only emotion in her voice was complete indifference; Kouga was coming to claim Kagome. Already seen, already done.
That indifference, though, had cost her half her hours of sleep for a whole week, until one night she had found herself almost on the verge of tears. At that point, her pride had taken over and she had built up a solid wall to keep him out of her head.
He wanted another? Perfect. It wasn't like she had spent years of her life running after him, just a couple of weeks more or less. And nobody had the slightest clue of what she had been feeling, so nobody would pity her, or mock her, or try to hurt her with it, or anything else.
At that point, she was pretty sure she could look him in the eyes and feel absolutely nothing, that she could see him court Kagome and then run away without acknowledging her existence without being jealous or sad. She had been waiting to meet him, just to have a chance to prove to herself she no longer ached to see him.
"And he's looking for trouble." InuYasha answered Sango's thought, "This time I'm really gonna have his head!"
Sango looked at him, wondering why he was so angry. It was just Kouga.
"InuYasha, stop acting like a spoiled child!" yelled Kagome, her reaction diametrically opposite to Sango's collected one.
But he didn't have time to say anything, because Kouga had already reached them, jumping past some villagers who were now staring at him with fear or admiration, the latter coming from a group of children. In front of them, Kouga pointed his feet and let them slide on the ground until the friction stopped him with a cloud of dust.
"Hi, gorgeous one!" Kouga looked purposefully between the two girls, who luckily were close enough to make it seem he wasn't greeting the void.
"I can smell trouble..." Shippo whispered to nobody in particular and climbed down from Kagome's shoulder to hide on Sango's safer one. He might be still a child, but he was very observant and smart. By instinct he had recognized Kouga's scent and, even if he didn't really understand what it meant "being in heat", he knew he shouldn't stand between a Kouga in heat and an angry InuYasha.
Before Kouga could greet Kagome or Sango -which of the two, he still hadn't decided- InuYasha held Tessaiga against the Yorozoku's chest. "Do you honestly think I'll let you go near her, flea bag?" he said darkly, his tone promising a fight.
Not understanding how serious the fight was going to be, Kagome said InuYasha: "I've already told you to stop acting like a child!" but both he and Kouga ignored her.
"You got a problem with that, mutt-face?" Kouga said smugly, crossing his arms above his chest. It didn't matter that they were talking about two different females; what mattered was the forthcoming battle of male pride, something that neither of the contenders lacked.
"The only one with a problem will be you!" countered InuYasha.
"Kagome-chan, maybe it's safer if you step aside." Sango said, gently pulling on her friend's arm. Knowing more about Youkai and being able to read an opponent's face to predict his next move, Sango had the strong sensation that the two wouldn't stop until they had settled the score.
"Take her away, Sango. They may hurt her if she stays there." Shippo whispered hiding in her hair. He seemed afraid, and Kirara was also on alert. What was going on?
Looking at her friend, Kagome understood Sango's concern, but she didn't move. If she stepped aside and they began to fight, they might hurt some innocent bystander. As long as she was between them, they wouldn't fight.
...Right? Both InuYasha's and Kouga's glares promised the opposite. They were squaring each other, searching for the right moment to attack.
"Kouga, please try to act friendly just this once." Kagome said. If the Yorozoku did as she said -and he would, because it could make InuYasha jealous- she could handle InuYasha with a 'sit' or two. What she could do, then, to get InuYasha to forgive her was another problem.
"Stay out of it, Kagome!" the Hanyou growled, flexing his legs as if ready to jump at his opponent's throat.
"What.." Kagome was shocked that he would use such a tone with her, since he hadn't done it in ages. She momentarily forgot about Kouga and their fight. "InuYasha, don't make me say it!"
Being threatened by the very female he was defending from another male... That was something he had never heard and that made him snap at her. "Shut up, wench! This has nothing to do with you!" Not really true, but it was something that he and the wimpy wolf had to settle between them.
"Nothing to do..." she repeated, shock being replaced by anger.
While the two of them were squabbling, Kouga turned his attention to Sango. He liked when Kagome 'sat' mutt-face, but right now he had more important things to do and the distraction of the other two gave him a little time alone with Sango.
"Hey," he began casually, "Isn't that the same thing you wore that day I saved you in the river?" He said, emphasizing the fact that he had saved her.
She nodded, murmuring a half-hearted "Yes."
That wasn't right. She was his mate, she should look at him with lustful eyes, stare at him in awe, or even glare and scream at him, anything but show him indifference.
He sniffed the air around her. "It's just my impression, or does this one release your scent more than the black one you usually wear? ...You know, you look really sexy squeezed inside it." The way he whispered only the last part, licking his lips and closing the distance between them, made Sango raise an eyebrow and gawk at him.
"But now you don't smell as heavenly as last time," he said in an even tone, "When I found myself lying on top of you." he whispered with his most sensual voice.
Sango jerked her head back. When she had wanted him he had ignored her, and now he was... Doing what? Trying to seduce her all of sudden? She snarled, "O-Of course the other one conceals my scent. It's a Taiji-ya garment!"
That look... Did she realize how beautiful she was when she was angry? Or maybe it was just the faint trace of excitement he could smell coming from her? He licked his lips again, but in that exact moment he heard Kagome yell five or six 'sit's in a row. He rapidly changed the subject of their conversation while the girl stomped back to them. "Hey, I don't see the monk. Did you kill him last time?" That wasn't exactly a random question, but he had to understand if she already wanted him or if he had a rival.
Sango frowned. Kouga surely had a dark sense of humor. Miroku just wasn't around, it didn't mean she had killed him. And weren't they talking about something else? She had a right to be the one to change the subject, he didn't.
Kouga tried to explain a little, because of her confused face. "From the forest, I heard you scream at him, then a blow. It sounded rather painful."
Sango stared at him for a little while, trying to understand what he was talking about, then realized suddenly. "You could hear it from the forest?" she seemed surprised by that.
"Loud and clear." he nodded.
Scratching her head in an uncharacteristically sheepish way, she looked at Kagome. "Ok, maybe I did overreact a little that time." Both the younger girl and Shippo, still safely hidden between Sango's shoulders, had said that same thing countless times in the almost two hours the monk had been out cold.
"You mean when you almost killed him?" Kagome's question sounded more like a reproach. Not that she wanted to scold her friend, but she had been really scared.
"So, he's still alive?" Kouga asked, a little annoyed by the intrusion.
"Uh?... Oh, yes. You asked about him." Sango said, recuperating from her embarrass. "He's been sending away the evil spirits from the biggest house of the town. He told us to take a look around: it probably means he saw some girl and now he's trying to convince her to bear his child." She sounded anything but angry, and that made Kouga grin.
"Do you find it funny?" Sango narrowed her eyes, wondering if Kouga could be another womanizer.
Kouga, though, was contemplating another aspect. The one he thought could be his rival was chasing girls, but Sango wasn't angry. That wasn't funny, it was simply wonderful: her scent, last time, had been only for him.
But he didn't have the time to say anything because they heard InuYasha painfully trying to get on his feet. He was muttering something bad about Kouga, and Tessaiga slicing him to pieces, and Kagome not getting away with her 'sit'.
Sango massaged her forehead, already tired of the skirmish that had yet to begin. Her face hidden in her hand, she told Kouga, "Try not to fight with him, you two are getting really monotonous." Again, her voice was somewhere between emotionless and bored.
Kouga pondered her reaction: human females were surely strange. He'd do anything to show her how strong he was, and she was annoyed by it? That would get him angry, if it wasn't for her scent that caused in him a totally different reaction.
Meanwhile, InuYasha had been able to get on his feet, and had already pointed Tessaiga against Kouga as for challenging him, without even noticing the Yorozoku was totally ignoring Kagome and taking advantage of everybody's distraction to loot at Sango.
Kagome stepped between InuYasha and the others with the firm intention to put an end to his stubbornness, making actually impossible for him to attack Kouga without hurting her.
"Do I have to say it again?" she asked in a threatening voice, prepared to 'sit' him as long as she needed.
Although, InuYasha, stood his ground; the two of them began a stare match.
Meanwhile, Kouga was studying Sango. She was making a point of ignoring him, and her face was rather convincing, but in her scent there was a weak hint of desire. So weak that, if she hadn't been his destined mate, he wouldn't have been able to pick it out.
Then, what to do now? She definitely was the one for him, and he was pretty sure she was attracted to him, but everything around them was conspiring against their union. He couldn't let anyone think that he was leaving Kagome behind because he was submitting to mutt-face. Even though he couldn't care less for Kagome right now, he wanted to prove he was the strongest, the Alpha male. He wanted to fight for his woman; someone like Sango deserved a fight.
If Kagome wasn't always sticking her nose in their duels, he would have fought the Hanyou, but what good would do him, in Sango' eyes, to win a match because Kagome 'sat' his opponent? He had to find a way to challenge him without Kagome around, but would he fight for Sango? Other than being the leader of her group, he had no reason to do it for her.
He was debating if it was a good time to go away, since remaining there would only be fruitless and frustrating. Maybe without her around he would be able to think a little better, but the idea of leaving Sango, especially with someone and in the care of someone like mutt-face, was holding him back. Kouga sighed.
Her eyes still avoided him, but from her lips came out a simple "What's wrong?" that she hadn't really allowed. He was even more confused, but before Kagome or InuYasha could look at them, he gathered all his resolve and moved his head near Sango's, whispering, "Tonight, in the forest. Alone."
Sango's eyes widened. Why was he suddenly being so secretive? She turned to ask him -at that point her defenses had been shattered and she only wanted to know what was going on in his mind- but as soon as she moved, he sprinted away with the firm intention of denying her the time to refuse. Some steps away, he turned and blew her a kiss. "Bye." he said simply before running out of the village.
Kagome and InuYasha heard him without seeing what he was doing. InuYasha immediately pointed out that his 'opponent' had fled the battlefield, being careful to keep quiet about his heat, since he didn't want Kagome to get strange ideas. Kagome rolled her eyes, but listened to him anyway, hoping that it would make him shut up sooner.
Shippo finally came out from behind Sango's shoulders. Kouga's words had confused him and he wanted Sango to explain what was going on, but she didn't even acknowledge his presence. Peeping at her face, he was the only one that witnessed her expression. There was astonishment, there was confusion... and a small smile on her lips.
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Finished 21-Dec-2007, 11:33 Italian Time
Revised 27-Jan-2008, 01:59 Italian Time
Thank you for reading this story, and thanks to anyone who left a review for the previous chapters.
Whoever wants to review is welcome, even -I'd dare to say 'especially'- who thinks that the story needs more work.
Italian version here